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Desiree Marisol Carcamo

         EL PASO was my first play. My first full length anything. I finished writing the first full length draft of EL PASO less than five minutes before our first cast table read April 13th 2023, 6:30 p.m. I was shaky, literally, curled on the carpet floor of Maria de Los Angeles’ studio apartment as she printed the freshly finished script. 

         Would the play even be good?, I wondered. I hadn’t had time to re-read anything that I’d speed typed, and the truth was, even though the play had been in development for a year, for the majority of that time, I only had twenty pages and a vague outline, while I let the story, themes, and characters simmer in my subconscious. Of those initial twenty pages, almost nothing remains, except the Walmart shooting monologue in Scene 3 and the initial ideas of Yesenia’s monologue, also in Scene 3. Everything else came suddenly sometime in April 2023.  For me, EL PASO, and really any finished project, is a miracle, and it’s a miracle made of the love, sweat, tears, blood, bone, time, and labor of so many people:

         With deep gratitude, thank you to Maria De Los Angeles for trusting me on this journey and for trusting me with the precious details of you and your family’s lived experience regarding the El Paso Walmart Shooting and letting me take creative license to make a new story. I know that that is immeasurably valuable and so precious. Thank you for your trust and your patience.

         Thank you to the actors who have followed me through the process of staging this play, for opening their hearts, giving of their time, and bringing these characters to life.

         Thank you to all of the team of EL PASO’s world premiere at the Zephyr Theater as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2023. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to bring the script from page to reality. Thank you for believing.

         Thank you to my family. My mother, my grandmother, my grandfather, my Nina, my Nino, and my dear friends. Without your support, I would not have been able to finish this play or even have had the inspiration or lived experience that would allow me to breathe life into these characters.

         My greatest hope is that EL PASO continues on to bigger runs, spreading its message of love, and pushing the boundaries of Latine representation. Latine stories and people matter.

         If you are interested in supporting us or following us on our journey please follow us on IG @elpasotheplay or visit us at our website elpasotheplay.myportfolio.com

With High Hopes and Overflowing Gratitude,

Desiree Marisol Carcamo

Co-Creator & Writer of EL PASO

Director and Producer and Executive Producer of the World Premiere of EL PASO